Combining at least one variable focus element with a plurality of stacked waveguides for augmented or virtual reality display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9915824-B2
Application number	US-201514705804-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2015
Priority date	Nov 27, 2013
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

Configurations are disclosed for presenting virtual reality and augmented reality experiences to users. The system may comprise an image-generating source to provide one or more frames of image data in a time-sequential manner, a light modulator configured to transmit light associated with the one or more frames of image data, a substrate to direct image information to a user's eye, wherein the substrate houses a plurality of reflectors, a first reflector of the plurality of reflectors to reflect transmitted light associated with a first frame of image data at a first angle to the user's eye, and a second reflector to reflect transmitted light associated with a second frame of the image data at a second angle to the user's eye.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for displaying virtual content to a user, comprising:
a plurality of waveguides to receive light rays associated with image data and to transmit the light rays toward at least one eye of a user, wherein the plurality of waveguides are stacked about a direction pointing to the at least one eye of the user;
a first lens coupled to a first waveguide of the plurality of waveguides to modify light rays transmitted from the first waveguide, thereby delivering first light rays having a first wavefront curvature and a first bit depth to the at least one eye of the user;
a second lens coupled to a second waveguide of the plurality of waveguides to modify light rays transmitted from the second waveguide, thereby delivering second light rays having a second wavefront curvature and a second bit depth to the at least one eye of the user, wherein
the first bit depth is lower than the second bit depth; and

a combined volumetric display subsystem including the first lens, the first waveguide, the second lens, and the second waveguide and configured to project, to the at least one eye of the user, light rays that have a variable wavefront curvature and a higher bit depth than the first bit depth and a higher frame rate than a lower frame rate at which the first light rays or the second light rays are presented.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first wavefront curvature is different from the second wavefront curvature.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a third waveguide of the plurality of waveguides to deliver collimated light to the at least one eye of the user, such that the user perceives the image data as coming from an optical infinity plane and producing three-dimensional perception with a combination of at least the first light rays and the second light rays respectively sent to the at least one eye of the user.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second waveguide is configured to transmit collimated light to the first lens.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a compensating lens layer to compensate for an aggregate power of the lenses stacked in the direction facing the at least one eye of the user, wherein the compensating lens layer is stacked farthest from the at least one eye of the user.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first waveguide comprises a plurality of reflectors configurable to reflect the first light rays injected into the first waveguide toward the at least one eye of the user.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first waveguide and the second waveguide is electro-active.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first waveguide and the second waveguide includes diffractive elements that are switchable.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first light rays having the first wavefront curvature and the second light rays having the second wavefront curvature are delivered simultaneously to the at least one eye of the user.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the second wavefront curvature corresponds to a margin of the first wavefront curvature, thereby providing a focal range in which the user accommodates.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first light rays having the first wavefront curvature and the second light rays having the second wavefront curvature are delivered sequentially to the at least one eye of the user.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is further configured to track, at an accommodation module, an accommodation of the at least one eye of the user, wherein a variable focus element varies focal distances of light patterns based at least in part on the accommodation of the at least one eye of the user.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is further configured to:
deliver, with the first waveguide and the first lens, first collimated light to the at least one eye of the user to produce visual perception at an optical infinity focal plane for the user; and
deliver, with the second waveguide and the second lens, second collimated light to the first lens coupled to the first waveguide before transmitting the second collimated light to the at least one eye of the user to produce the visual perception at a separate focal plane closer to the user than the optical infinity focal plane.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the second lens is configured to create a convex wavefront curvature for the second wavefront curvature.

15. The system of claim 14 , the system further comprising:
a third lens coupled to a third waveguide of the plurality of waveguides to modify light rays transmitted from the third waveguide, thereby delivering third light rays having a third wavefront curvature indicative of a third focal distance when the third light rays are sent to the at least one eye of the user; and
the system is further configured to deliver, with the third waveguide and the third lens, third collimated light to the second lens coupled to the second waveguide before transmitting the third collimated light to the at least one eye of the user via the first waveguide to produce the visual perception at a different focal plane closer to the user than the separate focal plane.

16. The system of claim 1 , the system is further configured to:
identify diffractive optical elements operatively coupled to the first focal distance and the second focal distance, respectively; and
switch the diffractive optical elements at a first rate in synchronization with a frame rate at which the virtual content is displayed to the user.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is further configured to:
identify diffractive optical elements operatively coupled to the first focal distance and the second focal distance, respectively; and
switch a focus state of the diffractive optical elements on a pixel-by-pixel basis at a second rate when a set of pixels for the virtual content is scanned into the at least one eye of the user, wherein the second rate at which the focus state is switched is faster than a frame rate at which the virtual content is displayed to the user.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is further configured to:
identify diffractive optical elements operatively coupled to the first focal distance and the second focal distance, respectively; and
switch a focus state of the diffractive optical elements on a line-by-line basis at a third rate to adjust the focus state from a first line to a second line in displaying the virtual content to the at least one eye of the user, wherein the third rate at which the focus state is switched is slower than a second switch rate at which the focus state of the diffractive optical elements is switched on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is further configured to:
identify a higher-frame-rate and lower persistence display that corresponds to a lower bit depth;
identify a lower-frame-rate and higher persistence display that corresponds to a higher bit depth than the lower bit depth of the higher-frame-rate and lower persistence display; and
present a plurality of two-dimensional image slices in a frame sequential manner with a higher-frame-rate and higher bit depth display at least by combining the higher-frame-rate and lower persistence display and the lower-frame-rate and higher persistence display.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the system is further configured to:
create a visual perception for the virtual content at least by projecting the plurality of two-dimensional image s

Assignees

• Magic Leap Inc

Inventors

• Schowengerdt Brian T
• Watson Mathew D

Classifications

• G02B30/24

  involving temporal multiplexing, e.g. using sequentially activated left and right shutters · CPC title

• H04N13/361

  Reproducing mixed stereoscopic images; Reproducing mixed monoscopic and stereoscopic images, e.g. a stereoscopic image overlay window on a monoscopic image background · CPC title

• H04N13/383

  for tracking with gaze detection, i.e. detecting the lines of sight of the viewer's eyes · CPC title

• G02B27/0176

  characterised by mechanical features · CPC title

• G02B2027/0118

  comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility · CPC title